The Swan
by Randomnotes84
Summary: Set in a university setting, can Sansa come to terms with her sexuality and find happiness with swim team member Brienne?
1. First Meeting

The first time Sansa noticed Brienne was after class during a swim practice. She didn't normally attend King's Landing University swim practice. She was not, by design, a swimmer. She had grown up in the great north, where swimming was difficult at best and deadly in some circumstances. Unless you had an indoor pool, or were interested in doing a polar bear swim, swimming was only possible for a month or so out of the year. While her sister Arya was the daring one in the family, who often engaged in winter swims, much to the dismay of their mother, Sansa had never taken up that practice. Sansa preferred to spend her time in the science lab on campus rather than participating in sports. However, on this particular day, she had agreed to pick up her roommate Yara from practice for a drive back to their apartment since Yara's motorcycle was out of commission.

Sansa got out of class early and after swinging by the university coffee shop for her favorite pumpkin spice latte, she grabbed her Shakespeare text and decided to sit in the bleachers and try to get a little reading done. If there was one thing Sansa hated, it was poetry. She found poetry boring and difficult to understand, especially Shakespeare's sonnets. However, she was required to complete at least one upper level literature class for her major and Shakespeare was the only class that didn't conflict with her psychology scheduled. "What was so special about Shakespeare anyway?" she wondered to herself.

Sansa settled into the bleacher, pulled out her text and took a long relaxing sip of her latte. She figured maybe if she could sneak a half an hour in of studying, she would have more time later to work on her experiment proposal for her psychology capstone project. She began to read reading Sonnet 18, "Shall I compare the to a summer's day…" and couldn't help but roll her eyes. Having grown up in the north, with barely a wisp of summer, Sansa would much prefer a lovely winter day to summer. Nothing was more magical than the sound of silence as snowflakes gently fell, tickling your tongue. Except maybe a pumpkin spice latte. A movement from the edge of her vision made her stop. A woman was gracefully completing her laps in the far lane of the pool. She noticed her long limbs and they elegantly slipped from the water to return, propelling her body forward. The woman appeared to be muscular and blonde.

She noticed her roommate Yara cheering the swimming woman on from the end of the lane. She continued to watch as her arms glided out of the water and slithered below. She was entranced. She had never seen such elegance in the water. Who was this woman? She'd spent countless hours watching Yara over the last year swim and had never seen this handsome creature. How had she not noticed her before? Where had she come from?

Sansa having long ago deserted her textbook, slipped the book back into her backpack. The refined whirling of the woman in the water beneath her enthralled her. She stared on with an embarrassing level of absorption. The woman came to the end of her laps and pulled herself up onto the side of the pool. Yara was clapping the woman on the back congratulating her on her quick time. Sansa stood and began her descent to the pool. Seeing her, Yara called out to her.

"Sansa, come meet my friend Brienne!"

Sansa walked toward the women, slightly flushed.

"Sansa, meet Brienne, our new anchor for the team! With Brienne on our side, we are going to beat the swimsuits off of Southern Rose Uni this year! Brienne, this is my ever elegant, often cheeky roommate Sansa."

Brienne extended her and toward Sansa "It's lovely to meet you." She stated with a polite smile.

Sansa turned an even deeper shade of red. She looked up at Brienne. She must be at least two inches over six feet. Sansa was tall by anyone's standards, but Brienne was nearly a head taller. Her height just seemed to accentuate her presence. "It's…um…great to meet you too! I can't wait to see you swim again!"

Yara let out a chuckle at Sansa's obvious discomfort. She wasn't used to seeing her normally calm and collected friend be brought to such humiliation. "Sansa, you never want to come to our meets and always bitch about the humidity's effects to your hair." Yara couldn't help incite more awkwardness on her friend's part.

Sansa looked away bashfully while Brienne stared her on. "Well, maybe with a winning anchor, the meets won't be so bad!" Brienne smiled softly before telling Yara "she's got a good point Greyjoy." She redirected her attention to Sansa "It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you around campus. See you tomorrow Kracken." She gave a small wink, causing Sansa to further blush, and trotted off toward the locker rooms.

Yara gaped at Sansa. "You know I've roomed with you for two years and in all of that time I've never seen you peep at one man the way you ogled that giant of a woman. I'm beginning to think that all of you Starks are spaghetti. When you get hot and wet you bend all over the place. Speaking of you bendable Starks, how is Arya these days? Did I ever tell you about that time that she and I…"

Sansa grunted and stopped Yara "I do NOT want to hear about whatever you and my sister did last Christmas when you visited us in Winterfell."

"I'm just saying, it gets awfully cold in Winterfell during the winter, if I needed to release the Kracken for a little body warmth…" Yara began with a chortle.

Sansa interrupted. "I'm done! Let's go now Greyjoy. Seriously, do you think about sex all of the time? I wasn't ogling Brienne! I was just impressed with her swimming. She moved so elegantly in the water."

"Impressed is one way of putting it. She's actually one of the best swimmers in the country. We were really lucky to get her here." Yara said as they climbed into Sansa's car to head home. "She's spent the last few years in the Army. She's spent some time at the battlefront. You know that can change a person. Not sure what happened, but I think she lost someone close to her. When it was time to re-enlist, she decided it was time for a break, started looking for a university and somehow we lucked out and she landed here. You know, if you're interested I could get her digits for you." Yara wiggled her eyebrows in Sansa's direction.

Sansa laughed. "I think I've got my hands full with this Shakespeare class this semester. If I don't pull up my grades, I'm never going to pass. I don't have time to even think about dating. Besides I'm straight."

"Straight like spaghetti! Okay, I get it. But seriously though, after Joffrey, you deserve some happiness. And though I'm surprised at your obvious attraction to Brienne, she's a good woman. Plus she's not really my type, the gallant knight? No, I'm more interested in the saucy tavern wench. Oh I love this song!" Yara turned up the radio and began to sing alone as Sansa joined in. Sansa was glad to have the loud music pounding in her head to get her mind off of Shakespeare, and the handsome woman


	2. Like a Noodle

Sansa waited in Professor Lannister, her academic advisor's, office. She was nervous what he would think about her experimental proposal. She had worked intensely on the design and concept. Tyrion was an intelligent and astute instructor. He would quickly notice any issues within the experiment. Tyrion was well liked by the students at King's Landing including Sansa. It was easy to forget that he was Joffrey's uncle. Sansa had spent a lot of time with Joffrey's family while they were dating, including Tyrion. She had attended family functions and holidays at the Baratheon Mansion. Tyrion was always there. While most of the Baratheons had been cruel to Sansa in their own ways (his mother especially treated her poorly and felt that no one was good enough for her son), Tyrion had always been kind. After she had finally escaped Joffrey, Tyrion had shown her some pity. Not long after Joffrey had debut his new love interest, Margie, at the homecoming game, not even a week after they had broken up, Tyrion had comforted her with her favorite pumpkin spice latte, a pat on the shoulder and the wisest words ever spoken "better her than you."

Tyrion finished reading over her proposal and gave her an appraising glance with a quirk of his brow. "I have to say Stark, your proposal regarding ongoing trauma in victims of domestic violence might hit a little close to home, no?"

Sansa gulped. She couldn't tell if Tyrion approved or not. She nodded slightly before telling him that her past experiences had changed her in ways she hadn't expected and that she was committed to helping others in the future who were wounded emotionally and physically by intimate partners.

Tyrion nodded. "I'll sign off on this Stark, but you have to promise me, if you start feeling any secondary trauma, you will seek immediate help." He then handed her pamphlets for a support group for victims of domestic violence that met off campus. "Keep this. If you need it, you know where to go. And don't forget, my door is always open."

Sansa smiled, rose and left the office with a skip in her step. She couldn't help but hum as she skipped to her car. She wanted to celebrate tonight. She thought she might surprise her roommate Yara with a homemade meal. Sansa loved cooking and baking, and Yara was incapable of even warming a frozen pizza without completely burning the crust. She thought perhaps she would bake a nice cheesy soufflé and lemon tart for dessert. She could pick up the ingredients on the way home from class.

When she arrived home, she noticed that Yara was in the garage working on her bike. She gathered the grocery bags from the car to carry them inside and while she was shoulders deep in the trunk of her car, she felt the bags be lifted from her hands and a voice behind her state "let me help you with that."

Sansa turned around and was surprised to see Brienne standing there. Brienne was wearing ripped up jeans, an old hockey jersey and had grease scuffed across her face. She couldn't help but look into Brienne's gleaming blue eyes. Within those eyes, she could feel herself becoming lost. From behind Brienne, Yara cleared her throat. The noise helped break the spell. Yara smirked at the situation before informing Sansa that Brienne had offered to come over and help Yara fix her motorcycle. It turned out that Brienne was a cyclist herself along with being a bit of a mechanic.

Sansa informed the two that her proposal had been approved and that she was hoping to bake a dinner to celebrate. Excited, Yara jumped up and offered to help bring in any groceries as well. She turned to Brienne, "You'll have to join us for dinner. Sansa's a wonderful cook. If you're lucky, she might even bake some of her famous lemon tarts." Yara looked at Sansa excitedly. Brienne looked at Sansa nervously, unsure of the invitation.

Sansa laughed. "Yes, I had planned on making my lemon tarts for dessert, and Yara make sure you don't eat the lot of them this time!" She began to walk into the home with the women on her heels. "And Brienne, yes please stay for dinner. I'm baking soufflé, so neither of you are allowed into the house until I tell you! You are NOT going to make my soufflé fall this time with your stomping about." She glared at Yara.

"Yes ma'am. I'll just leave these bags on the table and head back outside."

Sansa watched Yara and Brienne's retreat back into the garage as she began to pull out her soufflé dishes. While preparing dinner, her mind began to wander to Brienne and her classic Indian motorcycle outside. She questioned what it would be like to ride on that motorcycle behind Brienne. To feel the wind in her hair. To feel the sun on her face. To feel her arms wrapped around Brienne's handsome body. To feel the engine vibrate between her thighs. She blushed. Yara had never been able to talk her into ridding her motorcycle with her. Sansa was too worried about having an accident. However, she had to admit that the thought of her body pressed against Brienne's was appealing. She might consider a spin on a bike if Brienne was the one steering.

Sansa plated the meals and set them on the table. She called her the others in from outside. "Make sure you wash up before sitting down at my table" she reminded them. Yara and Brienne shuffled into the kitchen to clean themselves in the sink like children being scolded for eating the forbidden last cookie from the jar. They sat down to eat.  
"You've really outdone yourself this time Sansa." Yara stated before heartily digging into her food. Yara ate savagely, devoid of any table manners. Sansa, used to her friend's behavior, daintily picked up her spoon.

"So if we are celebrating your proposal being accepted, what is the project about?" asked Brienne as she took her first bite.

"Well, my last relationship had some problems..."

"Problems? Joffrey was a damn monster Sansa." Yara said with an eye roll. "Don't minimize the cruelty of that asshole."

"Yes, there were some problems. It started out great. It was almost story book. Joff was from a great family. He was smart. He had 'potential' as my brother would say. He was handsome and made me feel special. He played football and was in the brother fraternity for my sorority. He checked all the boxes. At first he wined and dined me. He took me to the theater to see musicals. We went to fancy restaurants. And then it started. It was small at first, hardly noticeable. I would spill a drink and he would yell at me, calling me a stupid girl. He then told me that I was ugly. And that I was worthless. The words hurt and eventually I began to believe them. He started isolating me from my friends. And then it got physical. He would get angry and hit me. Never anywhere anyone could see any bruises." Sansa noticed that Brienne had begun to tense in her seat. "I thought I deserved it. I didn't realize how bad it was until one day he threw me onto the floor and choked me until I passed out. The next day I knew I needed to get out of that relationship or I was going to end up dead. At the time I asked my sorority sisters for help. They were my family away from home. But Joffrey is from an influential family. They didn't believe me. They didn't think a boy from a family like his could possibly be that bad. But I still ended our relationship, which really angered him. So he started spreading lies about me. He told everyone that we broke up because he caught me having sex with his roommate, which wasn't true. His roommate fed into the lies and told everyone it was true. Joffrey turned everyone against me. The next thing I knew, my 'friends' had thrown me out of the sorority house and shunned me. I had nowhere to go and felt completely alone."  
Yara patted Sansa's hand. "And that's when she found me. I was looking for a roommate because my brother Theon had returned home to run the family business. I had a spare room and Sansa needed somewhere to go. It was a roommate match in heaven. It doesn't hurt that she actually cleans this place and is a great cook. I mean I don't think this floor had seen a mop in years before Sansa moved in." Yara laughed.

"So anyway…back to my project." Sansa said, her face tinged pink "After what I went through, I couldn't believe that someone like me would end up in a situation like that. I mean, I'm pretty smart. I come from a good family. My dad is a great man and never laid a hand on my mom. I realized how easy it was to end up in a relationship that became volatile. So I started researching domestic violence to better understand the women who have been through domestic violence. I quickly realized the number of children who grow up with regular domestic violence in their homes, and how often they continue to perpetuate that cycle of abuse when they become adults in their own romantic relationships. I decided that I wanted to research more the long-term effects of domestic violence on children who grew up in households were domestic violence occurred. I think if people better understood the situation, and didn't feel the same sense of shame that I had, they might seek help for their children sooner."

"I'm sorry that you went through that Sansa. I know that words can't help, but I'm glad you made it out." They had finished their soufflés while Sansa told her story. Brienne bit into her lemon tart. "Wow, Greyjoy wasn't lying when she said you were an excellent cook. These have to be the best I've tried."

Sansa blushed. "Thanks, they are an old family recipe and my absolute favorite." They cleared the table and Yara insisted on washing the dishes.

Sansa and Brienne sat at the table alone. They smiled nervously at one another. "What about a round of Fluxx?" Sansa asked as she pulled out the game. They played through two rounds while Yara slowly washed the dishes. Sansa found that conversation flowed easily between her and Brienne. They shared some common interests. They loved dogs, Broadway musicals and both admitted that they had an affinity for trashy romance novels. Sansa was especially fond of historical narratives depicting knights and damsels in distress.

Sansa groaned as she packed up the game. "I wish I could play this all night, but I really need to get back to studying Shakespeare if I'm going to pass that class this semester." She groaned. "I just can't seem to understand that man and the C I got on my last paper isn't going to cut it."

Brienne exhaled. "You know, I'm an English major right? I'm actually pretty fond of Shakespeare. If you want, I could tutor you, or at least help you with your next paper." She offered.

Sansa noticed Yara in the kitchen behind Brienne grinning at her while wiggling her eyebrows. Sansa blushed. "I could REALLY use the help. Are you sure it's not too much?"  
Yara was now making kissy faces, luckily unbeknownst to Brienne. "No it wouldn't be too much at all. It would actually help give me something to do other than swimming." Brienne grabbed Sansa's phone and began to program her number into the phone. She then sent a text message from Sansa to herself. "Here, now you've got my number. I'm going to text you my address. Why don't you come over tomorrow at 5pm and we can start?" She asked Sansa.

"That sounds great! I really appreciate it; if you're sure it's not too much."

Brienne smiled softly at Sansa. "No it's not too much, it would be my pleasure. See you tomorrow." Brienne climbed on her motorcycle and drove off.

"Damn Sansa. You know she was hitting on you right?"

"Shut up. She was not! She was just being nice and offering to help me with Shakespeare. Besides, Yara, you know I'm straight."

Yara rolled her eyes as she turned to go to her bedroom. "Straight like a noodle!"

Sansa laughed and carried herself to bed. As she wiggled finding a comfortable position, she couldn't help but think of how nice it would feel to have her arms wrapped around Brienne while the motorcycle vibrated between her legs. She felt confused. She couldn't be attracted to another woman, could she?


	3. Cockles and Mussels

Sansa was nervous. She couldn't decide what to wear. Should she go with classic black leggings and a t-shirt? Should she try to dress up a bit more and go with a cute dress? She pulled out her new blue dress from her closet and held it in front of her body in the mirror. Was a dress a bit too much? What does someone where to a tutoring session? It's not a date. It's just studying. It's not even a study date. She wasn't sure why she was having such a difficult time picking out an outfit.

She sighed in frustration and collapsed on her bed among the pile of clothes. Hearing the commotion, Yara walked into her room laughing at her friend's predicament. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"I can't decide what to wear tonight." Sansa replied.

"For your study session with Brienne? Sansa, it's just a study session. It's no big deal. Wear whatever you want. Besides you would be beautiful in a potato bag. I can promise you, Brienne isn't going to care what you're wearing. It's what's under the clothes that counts…" Yara began with a grin.

Sansa rolled her eyes. "Yara do you always have to be so vulgar? I'm straight. This isn't a date. Besides Brienne isn't into me either and you know it takes two to tango."

"Straight like linguini! And last time I checked, it only took one person to dirty dance…so maybe you should start there instead of the tango," replied Yara. Sansa rolled her eyes as her roommate left the room.

She scanned the pile of clothes on her bed and eventually settled on her simple black leggings and a King's Landing t-shirt. She pulled out her favorite and well-worn converse. She reminded herself that this was not a date and it would be better to go casual. She still couldn't help but fix her hair and put on some simple makeup before leaving her house.

A quick trip through the drive through of her local coffee shop for a pumpkin spice latte, she knew it would calm her nerves, and a black coffee- she wasn't sure what Brienne would drink, and she was on her way.

She pulled up at Brienne's house a few minutes later. She observed the home from her car while she settled her nerves. She wasn't sure why she was acting so out of character. The home was a small 1930s gray brick home on a corner lot. The yard was green and well-manicured but was otherwise impersonal. Sansa grabbed her backpack and the drinks and walked to the front door. Brienne was there to greet her.

The first thing she noticed about Brienne was her long muscular legs thrusting out of her cargo shorts. Sansa followed those legs down to barefoot feet, up to cargo shorts, a shirt that nearly concealed the curve of small breasts, up Brienne's elegant neck and then stopped at staggering sapphire eyes. She gulped. "I wasn't sure what you took, so I just got you a black coffee." She offered, hand pressing forward.

Brienne accepted the coffee, responding that black was her favorite, and invited Sansa into the house. Immediately Sansa was greeted by a large dog holding a toy in her mouth that looked almost like a wolf. Sansa smiled and asked "and what is your name sweetie?" while petting her soft fur.

"Lady" responded Brienne "She's my service dog and my best friend. She helps me with my PTSD. Before Lady I was a mess but after working with her, I've been able to go back to school. She's really been a godsend." Brienne grabbed the toy from Lady's mouth and threw it down the hall. Immediately Lady ran after the toy to retrieve it. "Come in, I figured we could work from the kitchen table."

Sansa walked toward the kitchen. It was a bright and airy room. Though it was sparsely decorated, there was a clean and welcoming aesthetic because of the natural light. "So I heard you were in the Army, is that right?" asked Sansa.

"Yes. I was in the Army for 10 years. I joined right after high school. I wanted to save the world. I've always thought of myself as a defender of the innocent. It doesn't hurt that I come from a military family. My father had always hoped that my brothers would enlist. Unfortunately, they passed away when we were still kids. I think he thought of me as a son after that and there wasn't really a question on if I would enlist, but rather which branch. Anyway, after a couple of tours in war zones, and an injury, I thought I might have a better path elsewhere. So I spent a few months trying to figure everything out and working with Lady. Eventually I ended up here. I'm hoping to become a teacher and coach. I figure I can save the world in a slightly different way." Brienne smiled and took a gulp of her coffee. "So let's get started on Shakespeare. What are you studying now?"

"Right now we are on the sonnets. As if the plays weren't boring enough to have to read, I have to admit I really don't understand most of the sonnets." replied Sansa. "right now we are working on Sonnet 153." Sansa pulled out her text book and began to read:

Cupid laid by his brand and fell asleep:

A maid of Dian's this advantage found,

And his love-kindling fire did quickly steep

In a cold valley-fountain of that ground;

Which borrowed from this holy fire of Love,

A dateless lively heat, still to endure,

And grew a seething bath, which yet men prove

Against strange maladies a sovereign cure.

But at my mistress' eye Love's brand new-fired,

The boy for trial needs would touch my breast;

I, sick withal, the help of bath desired,

And thither hied, a sad distempered guest,

But found no cure, the bath for my help lies

Where Cupid got new fire; my mistress' eyes.

"I just don't understand. I thought Cupid carried a bow and arrow, but here it reads like some kind of fire. And what's a brand?" Sansa sighed in frustration.

"While we often thing of Cupid as carrying a bow and arrow, there is earlier myth that Cupid carried around a torch of fire, a love brand if you will, with which he would set lovers hearts aflame." Explained Brienne. "As the story goes, Cupid went to sleep and some nymphs found his torch. They then plunged it into the water in an effort to extinguish the torch. However, the torch was not extinguished; instead it turned the water hot, like bathing in a medicinal hot spring." Sansa slowly began to understand and pick apart the poem with Brienne. The two continued for the next two hours going line by line over different sonnets, considering different meanings as they peeled back the words like layers of onions.

"I never knew that Shakespeare could be so saucy! Or that those sonnets were about another man and not a woman." Sansa said as she stood up to stretch.

"See! He's not as boring as you originally thought- or difficult to understand." Brienne replied. "I'm kind of hungry, what do you think about pizza?" She asked as she began to heat up the oven. "I have cheese or pepperoni."

"Cheese is my favorite!" Responded Sansa. She stood and began looking at the photos on the walls in the hallway. Some were of Brienne when she was a child, she assumed with her siblings and parents. There was one of Brienne at what appeared to be her Prom. Brienne was wearing a dress and had long hair. She looked slightly awkward on the arm of a teenage boy significantly shorter than herself. Sansa thought she looked much more like her true self now and couldn't imagine her wearing a dress. There were several pictures of Brienne when she was in the Army, in uniform, many of them with a man who had blonde hair. The two of them appeared to be close. She wasn't sure if they were romantically involved or not. She had assumed that Brienne was gay or bisexual like Yara, but now she wasn't quite as confident.

Brienne came up from behind her. She smiled and began to explain the photos. "This one is me and my brothers on a fishing trip when we were kids. We grew up on an island for the most part and spent our summers swimming and fishing. They died when we were teenagers in a fishing accident, drowned. This one is me at the Prom. I hate the way I look in this picture. It's just clearly not me. It's me trying to wear a costume or a mask of who I thought I should be. I keep it here to remind me to always be my authentic self if I want to be happy. And then these photos are me in the Army. That's Jaime, my best mate. He died on our last tour together in front of me. It was a bomb; I tried to warn him and stop him, but couldn't get to him in time." Brienne's demeanor became saddened as she turned to walk back into the kitchen, Sansa following.

"So were you and Jaime…you know like, dating?" Sansa asked.

Brienne laughed loudly with a full body laugh. "No, Sansa darling, we were not. Jaime was my best mate, but he was only my mate in the friendship sense. I just assumed you knew that I was gay. I'm a total gold star lesbian. I hope that you're cool with that."

Sansa blushed. "Yeah I'm fine with you being gay. But I do have one question- what's a gold star lesbian?" She asked timidly.

Brienne scrunched up her nose. "A gold star lesbian is just a lesbian that's never had sex with a man. It's stupid really, but yeah. So I've never been with a man like that, nor do I want to be with a man like that. The only date I've ever gone on with a man was to prom, and I later found out it was just a bet between a bunch of guys to see if my date could get into my pants. Well my dress in that case." Brienne turned to pull the pizza from the oven. She then sliced it and set it out on the table.

"Oh, okay. So tell me about Jaime." Sansa inquired as the two sat down at the table to eat their pizza.

"So Jaime was really from another world than me. He came from a super-rich family. As in they owned their own planes kind of rich. He grew up in boarding schools and with the kids of royalty. But he wanted to make a name for himself and not always survive on the family name. So he decided, to the horror of his parents, to enlist. In the Army it doesn't make a difference if you're a millionaire or poor. It doesn't matter if you're black or white, man or a woman. It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight. You're all one. They put you in groups and you become family. At first, I had a hard time relating to Jaime. I actually had to teach him how to do laundry and make his bed. Seriously. Can you imagine being a grown ass man and not knowing how to make his own bed? But then somehow you become family. It's weird how that happens sometimes. And then we were inseparable. That is until we weren't."

"That reminds me of that movie Breakfast Club. You know where there are five kids from different backgrounds- the geek, the freak, the hoodlum, the jock, the preppy girl and they are put in detention together. They start out as enemies but end up as sort of friends." replied Sansa.

"I can't say that I've seen that one before." said Brienne.

"Oh my god! No way! It's like my favorite." responded Sansa. She jumped up and ran to the living room where there was a TV. "We have to remedy this immediately." She turned on the TV, logged into her streaming account and found the movie.

Brienne followed her into the room chuckling. "Go ahead and settle in. I'll pop us some popcorn. Want a soda, beer or something?"

"I'll take seltzer water if you have it." Sansa replied pulling the blanket off of the couch and curling up. Brienne returned with their drinks and popcorn settling down next to Sansa. Sansa threw the blanket over both of them and scooted closer to Brienne to reach the popcorn. "I love Clair. She's my favorite character. She's kind of the queen bee of the school. But what's not to love about Molly Ringwald? She was such a babe in the 1980s. Not to mention, us redheads have to stick together!" she told Brienne as the movie started.

Sansa found that she enjoyed sitting near Brienne. Eventually she cozied into Brienne's side and laid her head on her shoulder. Brienne wrapped her arm around Sansa's shoulders pulling her close. It wasn't very long before Brienne could hear the soft snoring of Sansa sleeping. Brienne didn't want to wake her and finished the movie alone. After the finale, when Sansa was still asleep, Brienne wasn't sure what to do about sleeping beauty. She settled on gently picking her up, bridal style and carrying her to her bedroom. Sansa curled into her body as she lifted her and began to nuzzle against her arm. Brienne smiled. Sansa was as giddy as a child about watching the Breakfast Club, and looked as sweet as a child in her arms asleep. She laid Sansa on top of her bed and pulled the blanket over her. She unlaced her converse and pulled them off of her feet. She looked like a devilish angel with her hair haphazardly framing her face. She couldn't help but leave a gentle kiss on her forehead.

She sent Yara a text to let her know that Sansa has fallen asleep watching the movie and would be staying at her house that night. She didn't want Yara to worry about her roommate if she didn't make it home. Brienne then debated on sleeping on the coach or sharing the bed. She decided it would be okay to share the bed if she slept on top of the covers. Sleeping on the coach was almost impossible at her height, and she hoped if she slept on top of the covers, ever the gentle butch, Sansa wouldn't mind. Brienne reached over to turn off the lamplight and Lady curled up on the floor beside Brienne.

Sansa woke up in the middle of the night to the lights on in the room. Lady was sitting on top of Brienne in the bed by her and Brienne was breathing heavily. Sansa instantly knew something was wrong. She sat up in bed and asked Brienne if she was okay. Brienne's body shaking, she mumbled "yes, I just had a night terror." Sansa lay back down and looked at Brienne. Lady was sitting on her chest, nuzzling at her face. This seemed to calm her a bit.

After a few minutes Brienne was able to speak. "Night terrors can be a part of PTSD. Lady is trained to turn on the light and wake me up if I'm in the middle of a night terror. She then sits on me and nudges me awake. Her weight helps calm me. Plus it's nice to wake up to a friendly face."

Sansa gently brushed back Brienne's hair and continued to stroke her face. She then pulled Brienne to her and held her in her arms. She continued to rub her hands over Brienne's shoulders and arms. She softly began to sing "In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone. As she wheeled her wheel barrow, through the streets broad and narrow crying 'cockles and mussels alive, alive-o'…" Lady curled up against Brienne's other side so Brienne was sandwiched between Lady and Sansa. Sansa continued to sing gently until Brienne had fallen back asleep. Only then did Sansa seek sleep with her arms still cradling Brienne.


	4. Bidi Bidi Bom Bom

Sansa glanced down at her phone when she felt the vibration. She was in class and bored with the lecture, so she was happy for the distraction. She had received a text from Yara.

 _We rocked the swim meet. Celebratory party tonight. High Seas Bar. Grab some of those heels I don't know how you walk in and meet me there. Time to partayyyyy!_

Sansa smiled as class was dismissed **.** She grabbed her notebook and headed toward her car. She was thinking about what to wear tonight. She knew Brienne would be there and was hoping she could talk her into a dance or two. High Seas was a bit of a dive bar, but one of Yara's favorites. They did have a jukebox though and a small dancefloor for those so inclined. More than once she'd seen Yara let a little too loose on that dancefloor. And once when her sister Arya had been visiting, Arya and Yara had ended up practically dry humping while dancing on the bar. If Yara hadn't been such loyal patron, she was sure they would have been permanently barred from the establishment.

Sansa heard someone call her name from behind. She turned around and lost her voice. It was Joff.

"Sansa, wait up I need to speak with you." Joff came jogging toward her with an air of confidence that only he possessed. Sansa was almost to her car. If she could just make it a few more steps before he got there, she could get away.

"Sorry Joff, running late. I'll catch you later." She yelled over her shoulder as she jumped into her car and drove off in such a rush, she didn't even bother with fastening her seatbelt. Inside of the car she began to concentrate on slowing down her breathing. She knew she was having a panic attack. This wasn't the first time Joff had caught her off guard and caused her to have a panic attack. She knew if she could just take a few moments to calm down, she would be okay. She pulled over in the parking lot of a local grocery store, pulled out her bottle of water and began to slowly sip. Nice and steady. She took deep breaths and willed her heart to slow down. After a few minutes of some mindful meditation, she was able to buckle up and continue her drive home.

When she arrived home, she noticed Yara wasn't there. She locked all of the doors and double checked them for peace of mind. She turned up her favorite "getting ready" playlist. She went to the bathroom and got ready to shave her legs. She had a night out routine and knew that settling into a normal routine would help her get her mind off of Joff. She lathered up one leg while considering what to wear tonight. She thought she could go super casual and wear skinny jeans and crop top. That would certainly fit in at High Seas, especially with a pair of boots. But Sansa wanted something a little nicer tonight. She thought she might go all out with a dress. It had felt like forever since she'd been out dancing, and she knew putting in a little extra effort might make her feel better. She finished shaving and went to her closet to find a dress. She eventually settled on a classic little black dress, emphasis on the little. It fit tight, showing off all of her curves and was just long enough to be "safe" for dancing without showing anything she might regret in the morning. Because it would be cooler that night she decided to pair the dress with some silver tights and black heeled boots. She laid the outfit out on the bed and went to her vanity to start with her makeup.

Sansa wanted a bold look tonight and decided to go with bright eyeshadow with a cat eye effect, bright red lipstick and her hair half up/half down to show off her elegant neck and cleavage. Her phone vibrated with another text from Yara.

 _We're here! Where are you? Hurry up and buy me a drink already!_

Sansa laughed at her friend. She bet she was already two or three drinks in. She grabbed her bag and headed out.

When she arrived at High Seas, the crowd was already thick. She looked for her friends and noticed that Yara was talking up a short brunette and already had her hand on her ass. She shook her head. Yara always seemed to find a girl in every bar. The girls rarely lasted more than one night, but somehow she never had a problem attracting new women, or men for that matter, although men were more of a rarity for her roommate. She saw sitting alone Brienne nursing a beer in a corner table. She was wearing jeans with a blue button up shirt that brought out the blue in her eyes. She was peeling the label off of the bottle of her beer, deep in contemplation. She seemed to be out of place in the dive bar. Sansa made her way to the bartender and got two beers, taking one to Brienne and sitting beside her.

"You come here often?" She asked Brienne with a big of a giggle.

Brienne rolled her eyes laughing. "Let's just say that the bar scene, isn't really my scene. But I figured I would put in an appearance for the team anyway."

Brienne took a long lingering look at Sansa. She couldn't help but suck in her breath. Sansa was gorgeous, like always and extra sexy tonight. Her little black dress left little to the imagination, but just enough to really make Brienne wish she knew what she was wearing underneath the dress. Tonight Sansa was confident and seemed to be in control. She really seemed to be in her own element. Brienne couldn't help but show some appreciation.

"Thanks for the help with Shakespeare. I did really well on the last paper and it looks like I might actually pass that class! I know I couldn't have done that without you." Sansa replied with a smile as she bumped shoulders with Brienne.

"No problem. About the other night. I didn't get a chance to warn you about my night terrors, but I hope I didn't freak you out too bad with the night terror. I know it can be disorienting to be woken up in that manner." Brienne apologized. She couldn't look Sansa in the eyes. She was worried that she would see pity there. There was nothing that bothered Brienne more than pity. She could handle hate and angry, but pity tended to break her.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with that. I can't imagine what you went through in the war. I'm glad you have Lady there to help you. She seems like a friendly and fun companion. It's easy to see why you love her." Sansa responded. One of Sansa's favorite songs started playing. Sansa couldn't help but dance in her seat to the music and sing along with the song "I saw him dancing there by the record machine…" Brienne smiled, extended her hand, and asked Sansa if she wanted to dance. Sansa looked out at the dance floor and saw that there were a several couples already swaying to the song.

Sansa nervously placed her hand into Brienne's. She noticed how Brienne's hand enveloped hers. She felt how soft her hand was while Brienne rubbed her calloused thumb against the back of Sansa's hand. A thrill shot through her body. Brienne pulled her toward the dance floor. Sansa smiled and began to sway to the music. She looked up into Brienne's big blue eyes and smiled. Somehow she just felt safe here on the dance floor with this woman. She felt at home. It was a feeling that Sansa wasn't used to experiencing. She found she liked it. The song ended much too quickly and in its place she heard a song she wasn't familiar with come over the jukebox.

Brienne smiled and grabbed Sansa's hand and sent her twirling. "I love Selena! And this is one of my favorite songs Bidi Bidi Bom Bom. It reminds me of home. We would build big bonfires on the beach and dance. This was always a favorite." The dance floor had cleared but Sansa didn't notice. She wasn't used to dancing with a partner who actually knew how to dance. She was more accustomed to more of the shake your booty style songs. But she found that Brienne was a strong leader and she was able to quickly catch onto the beat and style of dance. Brienne continued to spin her, carrying her around the small dance floor. Sansa found herself giggling to the sensation of being twirled and hearing Brienne sing the lyrics softly in Spanish. She didn't realize that Brienne knew Spanish. Then Brienne pulled her in close and began to sing softly in Sansa's ear in English "every time I hear her speak my legs tremble and my heart too and it gets excited it doesn't reason anymore I can't control it…" It was as if they were in their own world, where only the two of them existed. The bar crowded faded further into the background. Sansa blushed as Brienne began to twirl her around the floor again. She wondered if Brienne felt that way about her. She knew that Brienne made her feel something she wasn't accustomed to feeling. When the song ended, Brienne pulled Sansa in close. Sansa looked up into Brienne's face, and began to lean inward on to her toes, her face reaching toward Brienne's. She thought that maybe Brienne was going to kiss her. She hoped that Brienne was going to make a move.

And then they heard clapping as the entire swim team had been watching the performance on the dance floor. Yara, who at this point was more than a little tipsy, called out "Damn Brienne, I didn't know you had such a hidden talent! You could burn down the dance floor from the heat off of that dance. And Sansa, is that noodle starting to bend?" Sansa noticed that Brienne began to blush. Sansa pulled her hand from Brienne's and quickly excused herself to the bathroom to collect her wits. She looked at herself in the mirror. She washed her hands and wet a paper towel. She began to blot the towel over her neck and face. She was red and slightly sweaty. She wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment, from the heat while dancing, or from the excitement of being in Brienne's arms.

"Get a grip Sansa" she mumbled to herself. After a few minutes, she felt that she had collected herself and exited the bathroom. She immediately felt someone grab her wrist. Joff was there waiting for her.

"Sansa, so glad I could catch you. I need to speak with you." He didn't let go of her wrist. Sansa looked around for help but there was no one else in the bathroom hallway. "Just three minutes, just give me three minutes." Joff begged her. Sansa nodded. She hoped that giving him three minutes would be enough to get him to leave her alone for good.

Joff pulled Sansa back into the women's restroom for privacy to talk. The bathroom only had two stalls and there was no one else in the bathroom. Joff stood between Sansa and the door. Sansa began to shake when she realized that Joff had locked the door when they entered. She didn't know what to do and knew that no one would be able to hear her if she screamed due to the loud music. She hoped if she could just stay calm, maybe she could edge around Joff to get to the door and get out. Or maybe someone else would come to the restroom and notice it was locked. She decided the best thing to do would be to keep Joff happy and talking to stall him.

"What did you want Joff?" Sansa asked with false sweetness.

"You. I want you. I'm sorry for acting like a jerk. I should have never hurt you. I love you so much. I just want you back. I can't go a day without thinking about you. Would you please just give me another chance? I promise not to mess up this time."

Sansa couldn't say a word. She just shook her head with a decided no.

"Come on baby, you know you're my world. You know you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. And if I didn't love you as much as I did, you wouldn't have been able to hurt me." Joff started.

"Love? You never loved me. You just hurt me. You used me and hurt me. You don't even know what love is." Sansa began, shaking, she wasn't sure if it was from fear or from anger.

"Oh and you do?" Joff began itching closer to Sansa. "Is that what you think you have now? Do you think that's love you have with that dyke? I saw you two dancing out there. I saw you making a fool of yourself out there Sansa. I saw you making a fool out of me. She can't give you what you need. Let me show you what a real man can give you." At this point he was towering over Sansa who was leaning back to try to get away from Joff. He grabbed her upper arms. She was too terrified to move and couldn't think. He began to kiss Sansa's neck.

"Joff, let's just go back outside and be with your friends. Come on, let's just go sit down and have a drink. You're hurting me." Sansa feebly tried to get Joff to her let go.

"You always were a little tease. Coming in here wearing that short dress. You're practically begging for it. And I'm going to give you exactly what you want." Joff began to run his hands under Sansa's skirt.

"Joff, you're hurting me. Let me go now." Sansa realized he wasn't going to stop. She screamed, hoping someone would be able to hear her over the loud music.

"Shut up cock tease." Joff punched her in the cheek and then shoved her onto the floor. Sansa could taste the blood in her mouth and felt her jaw begin to swell under the pain. Falling, she felt her head hit the tile floor, shocking her. Sansa was worried what was going to happen next. He laid on top of her, pinning her to the ground. He was able to unbuckle his belt and wiggle himself out of his pants. Sansa began to scream frantically. Joff hit her on the side of her head, leaving her in a dazed state. She was no longer able to think clearly and within seconds Joff had his hands on her tights and underwear under her skirt and was able to pull them down to her knees. He spread her thighs and started to prepare to enter her when Sansa heard loud knocking at the door.

"Sansa are you okay in there?" She heard Brienne's voice.

"Help!" Sansa screamed. She hoped that Brienne was able to hear her.

The bathroom door came busting inward as Brienne slammed her body through it. Yara was with her and saw Joff on top of Sansa. Yara yanked him off of Sansa and began to slam Joff into the bathroom floor. Brienne ran to Sansa and pulled her into her arms. Sansa was weeping, partially from the pain, and partially from relief. She began to push Brienne away as she didn't want anyone to touch her at that moment. Brienne quickly understood and sat in front of Sansa, gently stroking her hair.

"Sansa, it's me Brienne. Yara and I are here. You're safe. We need to get you to the hospital."

Yara left Joff. He was passed out on the bathroom floor in a bloody pulp. She pulled out her phone and contacted the police and asked for an ambulance for Sansa. Yara then knelt down by Brienne.

"It's okay Sansa. I've called the police. They will be here in a few minutes."

Sansa, still weeping, nodded her head and reached for Brienne. Brienne then took Sansa into her arms and gently began to rock her. Yara was able to pull Sansa's underwear and tights back up her body without startling Sansa too much. Sansa could hear the faint sounds of sirens in the distance before she relaxed enough to slip off into unconsciousness.


End file.
